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Statement from the Minister of Public Safety on the Tabling of the Annual SIRC Report

Statement

OTTAWA, September 29, 2016 - Today, the Honourable Ralph Goodale, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, made the following statement after the tabling of the 2015-16 Annual Report of the Security Intelligence Review Committee (SIRC):

“Over the past year, SIRC conducted nine reviews of activities carried out by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) on topics such as information-sharing, threat reduction activities, and operations abroad including foreign fighter investigations.

Today SIRC has provided Parliament with the findings from its reviews, through its Annual Report. This is a crucial document for keeping CSIS accountable and providing assurance to Canadians that CSIS is respecting the law, as well as Canadians’ rights and freedoms, as it carries out its national security mandate.

Overall, SIRC found that CSIS complied with the CSIS Act, and that its actions were reasonable and necessary. SIRC has provided numerous recommendations and the Report notes that CSIS has already implemented a large percentage of them.

The Government of Canada takes the accountability of our security and intelligence agencies seriously, and we are taking measures to further enhance it.

In June, we put forward legislation to create a National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians which would have a broad mandate to scrutinize the activities of any federal department or agency with national security responsibilities, including operational matters.

The Committee would complement the work of SIRC and other review bodies by taking a broader look at Canada’s security and intelligence community and engaging Parliamentarians in government-wide reviews.

As we look to strengthen Canada’s national security accountability framework, we want all Canadians to be involved. We invite you to provide us with your ideas and views on accountability, and many other topics, through our online consultation on national security at Canada.ca/national-security-consultation. Your opinion matters, and this is your opportunity to help shape Canada’s national security framework.”

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